Stamp Storage Organization

The organization of my clear stamp collection has been a project a few years in the making. I’ve intended a certain outcome for quite some time and keep working on it little by little. I think now is the time to finish it up.

After seeing Jennifer McGuire‘s system a few years back I decided to use the Avery Elle storage pockets and purchased them about 3 years ago. I never got around to setting it up until last year when I was refreshing my studio.

Most of my stamp sets were from Papertrey Ink and stored in the CD cases. This worked fine for me, but as I’ve collected other manufacturers, I want one place to store them and less of a footprint than the CD cases took.

So I decided on the Avery Elle pockets and Fridge Binz for storage.

I purchased badge holders to place the stamps on and slide into the pockets. I wanted something clear and sturdy, the idea came to me when I was sorting through some memorabilia and came across large badge holders from a concert. I ordered a large amount through Amazon here.

I know there is a lot of info about different type of acrylics and polymer and what is “safe” to store stamps on, etc. I am not particularly concerned about my stamps lasting forever, so it is working for now and I have not had any melting or warping issues.

One of the challenges for me with stamping/cardmaking is I can never remember what sentiments I have and where to find them. I have a lot of stamp sets that have multiple purpose sentiments. So I developed a symbol system using Web Dings in word software and set up labels to identify the stamp set.

On the label is the name of the set and the manufacturer. Then there are symbols included on the label that identify types of sentiments or graphics included in the set. This has helped me immensely because I can flip through quickly and recognize what sets have a sympathy sentiment or some type of encouraging sentiment.

After getting all the sets labeled, it was time to decide how to sort them.

I purchased plastic folders from the Dollar Tree (they have a few different designs) and cut them into 4 pieces to use as dividers. I rounded the corners at the top and used my Dymo LetraTag labelmaker to add labels to the dividers.

I divided the sets into the following categories:

Scrapbook/Journal

Food

Home/DIY

Flourish

Backgrounds/Pattern

Labels/Tags

Travel

Birthday/Celebrate

Sentiments

Alphas/123

Flowers/Nature

Animals

Christmas/Winter

Autumn/Halloween

Masculine/Boy

Feminine/Girl

Love/Wedding

Baby

It may seem like a lot, but I basically just started organically making piles of stamp collections and then decided on the categories.

So far this system has worked well for me. The bins with my stamp sets sit on the bottom of my cart facing the space where I primarily stand to create.

Due to all the clear components and labeling, everything is easy to spot, and I feel like I’m using more stamps now that I can find them easier.

For a quick video walk through, check out my YouTube channel:

Any questions? Leave a comment.

Bullet Journal // 2017 Review & 2018 Set Up

I started using a Bullet Journal style notebook in 2015. {check out here and here}

I used the same type of notebook for 2017 (made by Japanese brand Ca.Crea, & purchased at Zulily) and made a few changes for my setup.

My setup is very simple! I don’t do overly detailed pages or embellishment on pages. I set it up to be as useful as possible and the best part is as a blank notebook, it can be changed in any way as the year goes on. If a layout isn’t working or I need a different kind of list, just flip the page and start. I love this part of the Bullet Journal concept most, versus being confined by a date book/planner.

I also like that it is more of a record log that I can refer back to when working on memory keeping projects.

See photos below for more detail of what worked for me in 2017 and what I am changing for 2018. The blank set up for 2018 is pictured below.

Check out the video for a more detailed look with my thoughts:

Pilot Multiball pen

Traveler’s Notebook with Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 Smartphone Printer

I received the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 Smartphone Printer as a Christmas gift. I had been looking at since the first model came out, wondering if I would like it, use it, etc. I am so glad I waited and went with the SP-2 version.

It is very simple to use and so convenient. My favorite part is bringing it to get-togethers and events and being able to quickly reprint photos to share with others.

I started this traveler’s notebook of my Hawaii trip while on vacation. I just brought a few supplies that I kept in a Websters Pages planner book. The mini sheets of washi paper tape from Simple Stories work great for traveling on the go.

At a recent crop I worked on finishing it up by adding in some memorabilia from the trip. I realize the bits & pieces I collect in my adventures are what I really like to see added to my albums. Sometimes that’s all I have if I was too swept away to remember to take a photo. I love the texture and dimension it adds.

For this page I made a little pocket with the flower paper and Tiny Attacher to hold the brochure. Sometimes there are items I don’t want to cut up and this is a great solution.

One of our favorite spots on the trip was Maui Brewing Co. Sampling different drafts with a flight, live music, outdoor patio, food truck, it was so awesome! I used some double sided adhesive tape to adhere the coaster down. The skinny washi is a neon set from Recollections.

I will add a youtube flip thru of this album soon!